Showers hit Mumbai last evening, as predicted by the IMD on Sunday, as the storm, which has claimed 19 lives in Kerala so far, moves northwest

Mumbai and Surat have been put on rain alert as Cyclone Ockhi moves northwest at a speed of 16 km/hr. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted light to heavy rains on the Maharashtra coast as well as in South Gujarat.

Rain splatters city on Monday, with more predicted over the next three days, courtesy cyclone Ockhi. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Brace for moreSeveral parts of the city witnessed light showers last night, and the intensity of rains is expected to increase by Tuesday morning.It started raining in the city a little after 6.45 pm — by 7.15 pm, it had started raining in parts of Thane, Cotton Green and Bandra, and by 7.45 pm, in Andheri, with the spell lasting till 8.15 pm.

According to IMD, moderate to heavy rains in some areas along with wind blowing at 50-60 kmph, and touching 70 kmph, are likely over Mumbai, Surat and other adjoining areas of the Maharashtra coast and South Gujarat over the next day or two.

A rainy holidayAs a precautionary measure, a holiday has been declared for schoolson Tuesday in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Sindhudurg, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts for the safety of students due to the serious weather predictions on #CycloneOckhi, state education minister Vinod Tawde tweeted yesterday. Following the holiday declaration, schools bus owners association too issued a statement that buses won’t ferry children on Tuesday. The Mumbai University, on the other hand, declared that all city colleges would function as usual and all scheduled exams would be held as per the timetable. On Monday at 7 pm, the cyclone was 670 km southwest of Mumbai and 850 km southwest of Surat.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, current affairs from Mumbai, local news, crime news and breaking headlines here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go